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Will UT be casting Vol flies?
College bass circuit team being formed
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The University of Tennessee is about to be able to compete with teams from Alabama, Mississippi State and Arkansas on a level playing field.
Make that a level fishing spot.
The Bass Fishing Club at UT is set to begin competing in the Collegiate Bass Anglers Association this spring. The club's teams will fish in the Bayou Conference in tournaments scheduled for lakes Wheeler, Wiess, Wilson and Guntersville.
Other states with schools in the conference are Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina and South Carolina.
The Bass Fishing Club at UT joins more than 50 other universities competing in the CBAA.
"Right now we are hoping to have three two-man teams, but nothing is set in stone," said Travis McFalls, an aerospace engineering major. "We've been busy talking to different people about how to get sponsorships to help us pay for the tournaments."
The CBAA began in 2003 and has attracted university bass-fishing teams from across the U.S. Considered a club sport at the schools, teams are able to solicit funds and sponsorships to defray costs.
Nick Pate, a junior on track to go to veterinary school, is the president of the club and began collegiate competitive fishing in a national tournament last fall on another circuit.
Like any of UT's other sports teams, the Bass Fishing Club is looking for a diversity of talent.
"We've got guys that are big-time flippers, guys that fish topwater and I really like to crank," McFalls said. "But we're not out there fishing for money or fishing professionally, we just want to represent our school."
Virginia Tech is ranked No. 1 in the CBAA standings, followed by Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Alabama and Wisconsin. Tennessee Martin is the highest ranked in-state school at No. 19.
McFalls said plans are for UT's teams to compete from boats owned by the students or their families. In the future, the club is hoping to find sponsors that would enable the teams to fish out of orange and white boats emblazoned with the school's name and logos.
The team has spent time picking the brains of local pros like Craig Powers and Ott DeFoe for not only fishing tips, but tips on how to line up sponsors.
Anyone interested in helping the club can call McFalls at 865-254-1469 or Pate at 931-703-2388.
"We would like to get a boat sponsor, but we know that's probably not going to happen this year," McFalls said. "We've been told, 'Shoot big, just don't expect to get big results.'
"Well, we're going to keep shooting big."
Bob Hodge covers outdoors. He may be reached at 865-342-6314.
© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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